A Familiar Ceiling
by RiskyRosie
Summary: Shinji is in the hospital, and Rei visits him. After the HIP


1"A familiar ceiling". Shinji sighted as he looked to the hospital ceiling. Instrumentality has stopped, apparently. Everything was back to the way it was. Well, almost, Shinji didn't use to be it a hospital. No orange sea, no desolate wasteland. Just him, in a Tokio-3 hospital, and the gentle _drop, drop, drop,_ of the IV that dripped nutrients into his bloodstream. Shinji sat up, and got a major migraine. He looked out of the window. Rain. Rain and destruction. Skyscrapers and buildings that had once been strong architecture had been reduced to rubble. In the distance, the school was completely destroyed. "No school for a while. I guess I should call a nurse." Shinji muttered. Using the red button on the hospital bed he summoned a nurse, or a doctor, which ever came was good for him. Soon a young woman with long brown hair, a white doctor's coat and a clipboard came into the room. She looked to young to be a doctor, but, as Shinji knew, looks can be deceiving.

"Hello, I'm doctor Shizune." the doctor said as she sat down on the empty bed opposite to Shinji and looking down at her clipboard. "You really got jarred around, Shinji. You suffered from a concussion and a broken wrist. I heard they pulled you out of a few hundreds of pounds of wreckage. I think you are lucky to be alive." Shinji looked down at his right wrist. He saw nothing but bare skin. "Your other wrist." Said the doctor as she looked back down to her clipboard. He then looked at his left wrist, and saw a black brace. The kind you can take off when you need to take a shower or get wet. Shinji nodded, showing that he understood.

Then the young boy remembered something that shocked him from his own health problems. "How is Major Misato Katsuragi." Shinji said, the concern heard clearly in his voice. The boy didn't think the doctor would know her by name, so he took enough care to add her title.

"She's fine, got lucky like you, nothing that she couldn't live without. Although, Miss Katsuragi did loose a lot of blood. She had to have a transfusion, but she'll be out of the hospital after the observation that everyone has to go through, then a couple of days of recovery, then she can go home, that is, if she a home to go back to."

"Why does everyone have to stay for observation?" asked Shinji in bewilderment.

"To check for any infections disease. We already have mass destruction, we don't need an epidemic."

"Are you Askua's doctor too?"

"I'm overseeing every high class NERVE personnel case. Askua has some bruises and took a light blow to the head, but she can leave after mandatory observation."

"And Rei?" Shinji asked. He expected her to have at least some light damage, if not being completely maimed. For some reason, she got the short end of the stick when it came to injury. He was actually surprised that Misato and Askua had even survived.

"Miss Ayanami wasn't admitted to the hospital. She did, however, ask about the Major and her fellow Eva pilots."

Shinji took a deep breath and looked the doctor in the eyes. He needed her serious medical opinion and he wasn't going to stop asking questions until he got it. "How did she look?" She understood quickly that he was serious. People nowadays didn't look you in the eyes unless they were hitting on you or being serious.

"Tired. I saw some bandages on her hands and a couple of scratches on her face, but she was wearing a coat and a turtle neck. I didn't see much of her. But mostly she was dead on her feet. I told her to go get some sleep, but, she said that she still had some things to attend to. Later I saw her in the cafeteria, downing some coffee." Shinji furrowed his brow. That could not be healthy. A person needs sleep, and caffeine wasn't all that good for you.

"What rooms are Askua and Misato in?" Shinji asked. He wanted to see them as soon as possible. He needed to know he wasn't alone. He was afraid to be alone, but, who really wasn't.

"412 and 423."

"Can I visit them."

"Yeah, let me take out that IV. You can't get around in it." Stated Dr. Shizune. Then she leaned over Shinji and started to unplug the IV. But, unfortunately for Shinji, she leaned over at just the right angle, or, wrong angle, because he could see right down her shirt. Shinji blushed and looked away, which didn't go unnoticed by the young doctor. She straightened up and adjusted her shirt. "Sorry, I've lost weight lately, my clothes don't fit very well." He, in any other circumstance, he would say 'It's alright' but in his position, he couldn't bring himself to say anything. She finished taking out his IV. "Well, I'll check on you later, if you leave the room, be careful, we haven't been this busy since the Second Impact." She said with a sigh at the end. After that, she left the hospital room. The door closed with a click.

Shinji sat back up. His headache returned, but he ignored it. The only thought on his mind was seeing that his friends were safe with his own eyes. He left the comfort of his bed and felt a sudden draft. Then Shinji noticed that he was clad in a hospital robe and hospital issue socks. He tied his robe as tight as he could and left the room. The doctor was right, the halls were covered up with hospital personnel. The hospital was of pre-second-impact design. The only thing different was all the walls and the foundation was doubly reinforced with steel, as to withstand disasters both of the natural and man-made kind. The only thing he ever learned in history class was how all buildings had to reach a new standard after the second impact. However, the building wasn't indestructible, at the end of the hall on the wall there was a crack that reached it's fingers to the ceiling.

As Shinji made his way to Askua's room, he saw people from heavy damage to people with light scratches and bruises. Surprisingly, none looked life threatening.

The boy took a deep breath. He knew, if she was awake, he would get a tongue lashing. He always did when either of them were into a mess. Shinji just prayed that she didn't remember what she did to her. Finally, he opened the door.

"Askua, are you awake?" Shinji said softly.

"I am now, you dumbass! Why do you have to come barging into MY room while I'M trying to sleep!" Askua screamed so loud that she probably woke up the entire fourth floor of the medical establishment. Shinji walked into the room and quietly closed the door. There was two beds and two chairs in the temporary dwelling, one of the beds had Askua lounging in. In the other, was Maya, the young scientist was roused from her sleep by the loud redhead. "See what you did. You woke up Maya!" Exclaimed Askua. And in the chair, in the corner of the room, sitting quietly, In a turtle neck and a long coat was Rei Ayanami. True to the doctor's description, she had bandages around each of her hands. In those hands, the pale girl was holding two bouquets of flowers. Her eyes were bloodshot. One of the bouquets was yellow Tulips. Nothing special, just flowers usually found at a hospital gift shop. The others were special. Roses, half of dozen, three were pure white, and three were blood red. Obviously either bought at a florist or cut by hand. She looked up to Shinji. There eyes locked. Shinji was mesmerized by the blood red orbs. The eyes are a window to the soul, and Rei's soul was exhausted. Shinji felt sorry for her, she was probably one of the only people he knew that wasn't in the hospital, and he also felt his face warm up for the second time that day as he caught himself fixating on the blue haired girl. He looked away. After a few seconds, he looked up again, she was still staring at him with all the intensity that she had before. He made his way to the unoccupied chair next to her. "Nice gown, I'm sure that all the people from G-House appreciated the show." Askua stated. Maya giggled. The G-House was notorious around Tokio-3 as an entire apartment complex that housed mostly people of the homosexual variety and their lovers. Most of them were nurses, or volunteered at the hospital and other places around that needed extra help, such as a nursing home or an animal shelter and the like. That's why most men had never been to this hospital. It was the oldest one in town and was close to the epicenter of Tokio-3.

Shinji looked at Askua like she was a zombie from Hell.

"Umm.... Shinji, I got you flowers." Said Rei raggedly. More proof of her exhaustion. He turned to the chair beside him. Rei slowly reached toward Shinji.

With the roses in her bandaged hand.

He, in turn reached for them slowly. He grasped the steams right above her hands, but not high enough, for the bottom edge of Shinji's hand and the top edge of Rei's hand touched. He could hear his heart beat in his ears. His palms got sweaty.

He noticed the corners of her mouth curl up ever so slightly. It was hard to see, but it was defiantly a smile.

She let go. He pulled the flowers to his lap. For closer observation, and so he wouldn't drop them.

"Why don't I get the nice flowers?!" Demanded Askua as she held up a bouquet of tulips. Then Shinji noticed the yellow flowers laid at the foot of Maya's bed.

"Because I don't find you pleasant." Stated Rei dryly. Askua fumed. Maya giggled more. Rei stared blankly into the hapless abyss of oblivion. And Shinji found himself lost in thought. She gave him the best flowers. She stared at him. She even called him pleasant. Well, more pleasant than Askua, which wasn't a big accomplishment, but at least she had said it. Most of all, she smiled. That mattered a lot to Shinji, especially from the normally stoic blue haired girl beside him. Which then stood up and started toward the door.

"Where are you going?" Shinji asked quickly.

"To visit Major Katsuragi." She, again, stated dryly.

"I need to see her. I'll go with you."

"Tell her I said to get well soon." added Maya.

"Yeah, me too."

Shinji nodded as he left the room. Rei was on his heels. Even at four o'clock in the evening the hospital was full of patients. Rei and Shinji made their way to the Major's hospital room. Avoiding lunch trolleys and beds being moved. Finally, after navigating through half the floor's of chaos found the room and Shinji knocked.

No answer. Rei bypassed Shinji and barged into the room without knocking or announcing her presence. The room was private. Other than that it was a carbon copy of his and Askua's.

Misato looked almost as ragged as Rei did. She had and IV stuck into her wrist and her television tunned to Fox News. "Amazingly, no deaths has been reported in the Tokio-3 incident, due to the amazing evacuation policy of Japan. The earthquake caused mass destruction and totaled most of the city. Now, back to the ninth Bin Laden tape that was sent to Judge Sonya Sotomayor." said Glen Beck. Misato turned of the television.

"Hey." Misato whispered. "How's it going." Rei said nothing. She extended the yellow Tulips to injured woman. Misato took them and smiled. Rei sat on the empty bed opposite to Misato. "You look tired."

"What happened? Everything's been demolished" exclaimed Shinji. Now that he knew his friends were safe, he wanted to know what the hell was going on.

"Wow, warm welcome. There was and earthquake, it totaled most of the city, hurt a bunch of people." said Misato. Then she surveyed him and giggled. "Nice gown. Who got you the flowers." Shinji gestured toward Rei. Misato gave them a knowing smile. Shinji blushed. Rei was oblivious, as always. "This is the best get well present I've gotten in two days. Kenskue and Touji tried to get me chocolate, but couldn't get it through hospital security. Something about diabatic safety."

Then Rei piped in. "Askua and Maya extended good wishes toward your recovery."

"What?"

"She means that they said 'get well soon'" said Shinji.

"Oh, why didn't you just say that in the first place. You may want to go back to your room. They serve dinner at about five and it's like, four fifty." stated Misato.

"Yeah, I should go." he turned to leave. Rei followed him.

"Recuperate soon, major." said Rei. Then they left, making there way back though the chaos, that was, by now it was doubled because, true to Misato's word, nurses were shuffling to feed everyone. Finally, when Shinji found his room, Ray followed him in and sat down in the chair at his bedside. Shinji gave her a confused look.

"You should go back to your apartment. You look tired." he said, the concern clear in his voice. From reading, he learned that sleep depravation of 16 hours was the same as a .05 blood alcohol content. Shinji assumed she had been awake for at least that long.

"I do not wish to leave." she replied, then, stood, walked toward him and stopped only inches from his face. Shinji started to feel uncomfortable. Rei closed the distance by wrapping her arms around his waist and snuggling into his chest. "You should not be alone anymore." He went ridged. She had never done anything like this before. No one had ever held him like that. Lingering. Warmly. Gently. Lovingly. It felt...good. He hesitantly put his arms around her waist. She reached up and caressed his cheek, and tilted her head up. Shinji took a deep breath and leaned down. They kissed for the first time. Both knew it wouldn't be the last.

I don't own Neon Genesis Evangelion. If I did, the endings wouldn't have been so glib. Anyway, I know this would probably never happen.

Every comment is appreciated, even flames, my plug suit will keep me safe.


End file.
